Whoosh, whoosh—
Three Sleeve Arrows suddenly split apart, flashing through the night in a triangular formation.
The buzzing from behind abruptly faltered, as though something had been struck, followed by a faint muffled sound.
After flinging out the Sleeve Arrows, Tang Jian did not even glance back. He lunged diagonally to the side, rolled and turned the instant he hit the ground, then activated the Sleeve Arrow Card again.
Whoosh!
Like three crossbows firing at once, the three Sleeve Arrows streaked at extreme speed toward the spot where he had just been standing.
At that moment, Tang Jian turned and saw a venomous mosquito the size of a fist flying toward him unsteadily. One of its cicada-wing-thin wings had been pierced by a Sleeve Arrow, impairing both its speed and balance.
Before the venomous mosquito could recover from that painful strike, two of Tang Jian's three follow-up Sleeve Arrows hit it directly.
Two soft pops rang out.
The venomous mosquito's thorax and long abdomen were both struck. With a buzz, its fragile body split apart and abruptly dissolved into a faint wisp of energy.
"What!?"
Mosquito was greatly shocked. His expression changed drastically as he immediately drew the dagger from his waist, sweat already beading on his forehead.
"What fast reactions, and such precision with those Sleeve Arrows. That was even Wind Listening Position Discernment. This kid..."
From a dark corner, Sun Yiying watched Tang Jian's sharp and decisive attack. She quietly withdrew the card she had prepared to use for a rescue, a trace of puzzlement and surprise flashing through her beautiful eyes.
Tang Jian let out a breath and narrowed his eyes as his gaze swept toward the corner by the distant alley entrance.
At the instant the danger had erupted, he had vaguely sensed a faint but rather familiar presence.
At first, his heart had skipped a beat, and he had thought an acquaintance was attacking him.
But Tang Jian quickly figured out who that presence likely belonged to.
His thoughts raced. Without revealing anything, Tang Jian swiftly turned around and fiercely activated the Sleeve Arrow Card in his hand once more.
Three Sleeve Arrows shot through the darkness, viciously stabbing toward the position he had vaguely sensed deep within the alley.
Mosquito let out a furious roar and sprang from the corner. With a flick of his dagger, he barely knocked away one Sleeve Arrow and dodged another.
But the instant he landed, he still let out a muffled groan. The final Sleeve Arrow stabbed straight into his calf, and piercing pain immediately surged up from his leg.
Mosquito gritted his teeth, his face twisting savagely. Enduring the intense pain in his leg, he charged at Tang Jian with a furious roar, gripping his dagger tightly and moving with swift desperation, as though he were ready to risk his life.
Tang Jian's eyes turned cold, but then his gaze flickered. As if intimidated by Mosquito's desperate posture, he stumbled back two steps in panic, barely avoiding the dagger Mosquito slashed at him. The blade nearly cut open his arm.
"Tsk! He was probably stimulated by the danger and performed beyond his usual limits just now. Now his reactions are already having problems. His combat experience is too shallow, and he has been intimidated by the other man's vicious manner. Even if his fighting techniques are good, he has never experienced a life-or-death confrontation."
Sun Yiying watched Tang Jian, who appeared somewhat timid and restrained in the alley, then looked at Mosquito, who kept issuing fierce shouts and attacked with utter disregard for defense. She could not help shaking her head inwardly, though she also felt somewhat relieved.
I really was overthinking it. Tang Jian was still only a child. Even if he had received guidance from some expert and improved rapidly, he was not yet a true warrior tempered by blood and fire. How could he possibly perform exceptionally in a life-or-death battle? He needed time to adapt.
Sun Yiying remained highly alert, ready to rescue him at any moment.
After all, he was her student. Although she had followed him in hopes of getting in touch with the expert behind Tang Jian and did not wish to expose herself, she certainly could not stand by if Tang Jian was in danger.
But Sun Yiying soon gave up on intervening.
That was because Tang Jian became extremely underhanded. After the initially somewhat "panicked" exchange, he gradually adapted and actually latched onto his opponent's injured leg, shamelessly targeting it again and again.
As a result, Mosquito quickly collapsed and was knocked to the ground and subdued by Tang Jian.
Sun Yiying watched Tang Jian deal with Mosquito with great interest, as though she were seeing her younger, inexperienced self. But she soon realized with embarrassment that her past self truly could not compare to Tang Jian. This guy was far too shameless.
Under Mosquito's nearly teeth-grindingly furious glare, Tang Jian stripped him of his combat Pet Card, Venomous Mosquito, along with quite a bit of cash. He even tore off the thick gold chain around Mosquito's neck and claimed it for himself.
"Don't look so unconvinced. You attacked me for no reason. It's already generous of me not to send you to the police. Tell me, who told you to come after me?"
Tang Jian patted Mosquito's face with sharp slaps and said coldly.
Mosquito growled, "If you've got the guts, send me to the police!"
If Tang Jian dared send him to the police, he would at most spend some time in jail without suffering much loss. Tang Jian would not be able to take things like his combat Pet Card, Venomous Mosquito, since they were his personal property.
But if Tang Jian did not send him to the police, Mosquito could not exactly go report it himself. After all, he had attacked first. How could he report it?
Was he supposed to tell the police, "I wanted to cripple someone, but he robbed me instead?"
If he gave such an embarrassing statement, Mosquito could forget about continuing in the Jianghu. Asking the police for help was humiliating enough, and he had even been beaten by a high school student. This was truly...
Tang Jian narrowed his eyes, like a cold-blooded wolf staring at prey beneath its paw. "Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill someone? It's pitch-black here, and no one can see us. You attacked me first. If I kill you now, it would still count as self-defense."
As he spoke, he flipped his palm. The dagger he had taken from Mosquito was placed directly against Mosquito's throat. The force was so great that Mosquito felt a sharp sting and realized the skin on his neck had already been cut.
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Mosquito shuddered in fright. Fear finally appeared in his eyes as he stared in terror at Tang Jian, whose face looked incomparably grim and shadowy in the darkness. Even his mouth had gone dry.
The killing intent Tang Jian had revealed in that instant did not seem fake. In his previous life, as a Three-Star Card Master, Tang Jian had killed not only people but even alien creatures. He was no novice.
Mosquito keenly sensed Tang Jian's killing intent and immediately felt immense danger. Even though the other man's argument was laughable—self-defense, my ass—he did not dare laugh at this moment.
"Take the stuff. Take it all. I'll admit defeat this time. From now on, we'll stay out of each other's way. The one who sent me after you was Xie Dong. You should know him."
Mosquito spoke bluntly, directly giving up Xie Dong.
Jianghu loyalty?
Loyalty, my ass.
Right now, Mosquito wished he could find Xie Dong and beat him senseless. If not for that bastard setting him up, he would not have been injured or suffered such huge losses.
What kind of high school student was Tang Jian? He was a complete freak. His combat experience was even stronger than Mosquito's, an old hand in the Jianghu. He was definitely a ruthless bastard.
Two thousand yuan to go cause trouble for Tang Jian?
Mosquito felt that he had truly gotten the worst end of the deal.
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